Mark 10-16

Answers

 2009

Chapter 10 - Divorce and Marriage

The Pharisees again attempt to trap Jesus by asking question about divorce, they all agreed that this OT passage (Deut. 24:1-4) permitted divorce, and that only the husband could initiate it, and that divorce implied the right to remarry.  They just disagreed on the grounds of Divorce.  Two views: (1) only if the wife were guilty of immorality: (2) for almost any reason at all. 

1. How does Jesus answer the question?  (A) He focuses not on debate, but upon the Word of God.  His will is forgiveness and reconciliation.
2. What was wrong with their thinking?  (A) Only the man could divorce his wife and never the woman divorce her husband.  To the Jews, it was all right for a man to divorce for almost anything.  But what were the legal grounds?  Some say that the actual prohibition here was not adultery, punishable by stoning, but for some uncleanness, meaning fornication.  Verse 10:12, “If a woman divorces her husband…” - Remember that Mark was writing to the Roman Christians, both Jew and Gentile.  Under Jewish law, the woman was not allowed to do this, but under Roman law it was a common thing.
3. The Rich Young Man, vs. 17-31.  This man sounded great in all respects, however, Jesus know his heart and that is what He focuses on.  How would you explain his problem?  How does Jesus deal with him?  (A) The man’s first words show his problem – “Good Teacher, what should I do to get eternal life (v.17)?”  He had a very shallow view of spiritual things, thinking he could do something to earn or merit eternal life.  The man believed that he had no sin, but his view of sin, salvation, and the Messiah were faulty.  Not simply outward works that save, but an inward attitude of the heart and surrender to Jesus as Lord matter.  He kept the Law, but the Law is simply a mirror to show how dirty we are.  He showed his true colors by refusing to give up his wealth, thereby showing his covetousness.
4. In the story of the healing of blind Bartimaeous, what part did Bartimaeous play?  How was he healed and what was significant about the sequence?  (A) In spite of the great crowd surrounding Jesus, the blind beggar continually shouted to Jesus, “Son of David, have mercy on me (10:47).  His use of “Son of David” showed that he believed in Jesus as the Messiah-King.  His faith was the necessary means, not the cause, of his healing.  His “outward” healing (deliverance from darkness to light) was a picture of his spiritual salvation.  He recognized his inability, trusted Jesus as the One to give him God’s gracious mercy, and when he could “see” clearly, he began to follow him.

Chapter 11 – The Triumphal Entry

It is important for us to note that Jesus always used Scripture in whatever He did.  Even the entry into Jerusalem reflected several OT prophecies.  He used the colt (the foal of a donkey) prophesied in Gen. 49:8-12 and Zech. 9:9 to show that He came not in war and political upheaval, but in peace.  The people never had a clue!

1.     How did they greet him?  Why?  (A) The crowd spread their outer cloaks on the ground (as they would for an earthly ruler) and shouted Hosanna (literally, “O save us now.”), Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David (vs. 9,10)!  They never understood that this was, in fact, the true Messiah, because He came not in Triumph, with soldiers and armies, but came in humility on a lowly donkey.  They were caught up in the “party” atmosphere” that surrounded the celebration of the Passover and praised Jesus because of His healing miracles.

2.     The next morning, on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus sees a fruitless fig tree and judges it (11:12-14).  Why do so?  (A) Jesus was headed to Jerusalem and the fig tree symbolizes her.  While the tree was in full leaf and should have been bearing edible buds, it was fruitless.  It symbolized Israel’s spiritual barrenness despite divine favor and the hypocrisy and impressive outward appearance of their religion.

3.     In the story of the second cleansing of the Temple (vs.15-18), Jesus is upset because the religious leaders and the merchants of the city used the Temples as a place of dishonest trade and as a ‘shortcut” to other parts of the city.  How do you think Jesus would view most of our church practices today?  Why? (A) _____________________________________________________

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Chapter 12 _ The Most Important Commandment

Jesus tells the Sanhedrin (the legal and religious authorities of Israel) a series of stories (parables) to further answer their question “By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple (11:28)?”

1.     In His answer, Jesus referred back to John’s baptism (v.30).  How does that apply?  (A) Very simply - God does not teach new truths to replace rejected truth.  If they already have John’s teaching, why should God say anything more?  Instead, He tells them parables to reveal where their sins were leading them.  Jesus is the “stone that the builders (the Jews) rejected.  They knew he was pointing fingers at them.

2.     The Jews certainly understood what the story of vineyard owner meant.  According to Levitical law, a farmer could not use the fruit of the crop for three years – it was considered unclean.  The fourth year, the crop was dedicated to the Lord and finally, they could enjoy the fruit the fifth year.  In order to retain the legal rights to the fields, the owner had to receive even some token crop of the filed, anything, to show that he retained ownership.  Apply this to what was happening to Jesus.  (A) In the context of the parable, if the tenants (the Jews) could do away with the heir to the property, they could claim it for themselves.  In rejecting Jesus and killing Him, Israel wanted to preserve their own position and were wiling to kill to accomplish their own purpose.

3.     In the parable of the Taxes for Caesar (12:13-17), Jesus proclaimed “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but everything that belongs to God must be given to Him.”  What was he really saying?  (A) The face of the coin had imprinted on it the image of Caesar and on the back “The Chief Priest.”  He said to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar (the poll tax in debate), but more importantly, to give to God and Him alone, that which He deserved – divine honor and worship.

4.     The Sadducees begin to question Jesus about the Resurrection of the dead, which they did not believe in.  What is Jesus’ answer?  What does it mean to you?  (A) “I Am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (v26).”  God said these words to Moses at the burning bush.  The three patriarchs were long dead, but God (Jesus) uses the emphatic present tense I AM to underscore the personal and perpetual covenant relationship God established with the three.  Even though all three were dead, God was still their God as much as when they were alive on earth – and more so in that they were experiencing eternal fellowship with Him in heaven.  He is your God too and always will be!

 Chapter 13 – Jesus Foretells the Future

 Jesus is now in Jerusalem, the culmination of a long journey with these last days in mind.  The disciples still do not really understand what is about to occur; rather they are awed by the Temple and find comfort in its strength.  Jesus warns that it will soon be destroyed.  Troubled, they question Jesus about when this destruction would take place.  His answer is known as the Olivet Discourse and directed to the Jews in particular.  It describes a period known as “the Tribulation,” a time of wrath and punishment.  In Mark 13, Jesus describes three stages of the Trib., the beginning (13:5-13), the middles (13:14-18), and the events that lead to the end (13:19-27).  Jesus then closes with two parables that urge believers to watch and take heed (13:28-37).

1. Jesus warns them to be prepared for great persecution.  What does v.13 proclaim as the cause of this persecution?  (A) “And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to Me.”  If we identify with Jesus Christ, we can expect the world to treat us as it treated Him.
2. “But those who endure to the end will be saved” – is this a condition of salvation?  (A) No.  In any period a person lives, if he is truly born again, God will love him, and keep him.  During the Trib., true believers will prove their faith by their faithfulness.
3. Do the warnings in Mark 13:14-18 apply to believers today?  (A) No!  This applies to the remnant of Jews and believing Gentiles at the end time.  But they do remind us that God’s people in every age must know the prophetic Word and be prepared to obey Him at any time.

Chapter 14 – 15 - The Servant Suffers

In these His last days, we see various responses to the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. In Bethany - Adored (14:1-11).  What were the consequences of Mary’s devotion?  (A) The house was filled with a beautiful fragrance.  (1) There is always a “spiritual fragrance” in the home where Jesus is loved and worshiped.  (2) The disciples criticized Mary for wasting money.  Judas criticized Mary for wasting money, but he wasted his whole life!  (3) Jesus accepted Mary’s gift.  No matter what others think, the most important thing is that we please the Lord.
2. In the Upper Room – Betrayed  (14:12-26).  Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast, a memorial to a past victory, but He would institute a new supper that would be the memorial to His death.  He would fulfill the Passover as the spotless Lamb of God.  During the Supper, He revealed that one of the twelve would betray Him.  Some say about Judas that “Well, someone had to betray Him in order to force Him into revealing His power and setting up His kingdom”, or that he was merely a robot with no choice but to betray Christ.  Can this be true?  (A) He was neither a martyr nor a robot.  He was a responsible human being who made his own decisions, but in doing so, fulfilled the Word of God.
3. In the Garden – Forsaken (14:27-52).  On His way to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus warned His disciples that they would all forsake Him.  He even quoted Zechariah 13:7 –“God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”  Did Jesus hold it against the disciples for deserting Him?  (A) No, in fact, he foresaw it and warned them, not in condemnation, but to give them peace when they later looked back at their weakness.  He knew what the will of the Father was.
4. In the High Priest’s Palace – Rejected (14:53-72).  When Jesus warned the disciples that they should “scatter”, He was trying to save them pain and persecution.  But Peter and John followed Jesus at a distance and, while not directly witnessing the trial at the High Priest’s palace; they were in the courtyard and subject to scrutiny.  The Sanhedrin, the High Priest and various witnesses subjected Jesus to an illegal trial and to false accusation.  What is the significance of Jesus’ Messianic acknowledgement (14:62)?  (A) He agreed that He was “The Son of Man,” a Messianic title (Dan. 7:13).  The council members knew exactly what Jesus was saying – that He was God come in human flesh.
5. In Pilate’s Hall – Condemned (15:1-20).  The Jews had no authority to condemn a man to death, so they plotted to take Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor, and convince him that Jesus was guilty of the one crime worthy of His death – Jesus claimed to be King and stirred up the people against Rome.  Pilate repeatedly found no fault in Jesus, but bowed to political pressure and after failing in his attempt to pass it off on Herod, had Jesus scourged and then crucified.  Why did the Jews insist on the death of Jesus?  (A) Jesus was a direct threat to their perverted way of life.  Rather than accept their role as God’s chosen people and obey Him in heart and soul, they obeyed only in the most superficial and selfish ways.  They made a mockery of the Law, of which they boasted and adhered to only in an outward form.  Their hearts were full of treachery and deceit.

Chapter 15, continued – The Crucifixion and Death Of Jesus (15:16-47).

Jesus goes to the cross, by that one selfless act, forgives the sins of the repentant, and assures eternal life to those who truly believe.  The details of the crucifixion are few, but we feel the pain Jesus suffered during those faithful hours.  Three hours are mentioned: the third hour (15:21-32), the sixth hour (15:33), and the ninth (15:33-34).  It was the third hour (about 9 A.M.) when they crucified Him.  It is always fascinating to read the account of the reaction of the people present at Calvary.  Many mocked Him and even dared Him to come down from the cross if indeed He was the Messiah. 

1. Why were they so unafraid and so irreverent?  (A) Their hearts were closed to the truth and they were fully convinced by the leaders that this prophet, who had done so many miracles, had healed so many people and freed so many from the demons, was himself a blasphemer and lead by Satan.  How foolish in light of all that the Word of God had prophesied to the letter, to the moment, to the exact details of the events occurring.
2. What aspect of the crucifixion was worst for Jesus: The physical pain?  Feeling forsaken by God?  What does this say about our part in His crucifixion?  (A) As bad as the physical pain He endured, the mental and spiritual pain must have been so much worse.  When one truly repents, He feels the anguish of the pain he caused his savior.  How much more must Jesus have felt bearing the entire weight of all of the sins of the entire world, from beginning to end, and taking the punishment for them upon Himself?  Each of us, sinners all, shares in the guilt heaped upon Him.  Even more so, we all share in the wonder of forgiveness that is ours because of the blood shed for us.
3. At the moment of His death, the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom.  On a scale of one to10, how would you describe the “curtain” between you and God today?  ____________________________________________ 

Chapter 16 – The Resurrection

Upon His death, Jesus is quickly placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb and His body was prepared with many spices for the burial, all of this to fulfill prophecy and to prepare the way for His Resurrection.  Roman’s 4:25 says, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised from the dead to make us right (justified) with God.”

1. What does this verse say to you?  (A) Hopefully, it tells you that a dead Savior cannot save anybody!  The Resurrection of Jesus is as much a part of the Gospel as His sacrificial death on the cross.  It says that it was because of our sins that He died and because of His resurrection, God now sees us as holy and right before Him.
2. As we read the accounts of what happened after the Resurrection (16:9-14), what strikes you about the reaction of the disciples?  What was the reaction of Jesus?  (A) Even in the face of several witnesses, the disciples refused to believe in His Resurrection!  After all He had prophesied to them!  Jesus rebuked them because of their stubborn refusal to believe.  How often have we had the same reaction, depending on our own bias and on our own stubborn hearts?
3. Many are guilty of reading vs.15, 16 superficially, concluding that they mean that sinners must be baptized in order to be saved.  Read the verses carefully.  What is the emphasis on?  (A) Clearly, the emphasis is on believing.  If a person does not believe, he is condemned, even if he is baptized (see John 3:16-18, 36).  It was expected in the early church that believers would be baptized.
4. Are all believers given these miraculous powers seen in vs.17-18?  (A) No!  The apostles were given these special signs to enforce their message.  Some say that if you have “enough faith,” these gifts are yours too.  Gifts are only from God and according to His will.